Vader55

Hey Guyz, couple questions

When installing a sub on a stock 7.1 channel Harman Kardon system do I need to use a high / low converter or is there a sub output option?

Is there a separate amplifier for the sub or does it utilize all one amplifier?

Is there a way to bypass the stock stereo feed for the sub if there is not a sub output without using a high/low converter?

skratch77

Heres how I did mine,I tapped into the sub in the rear and my JL amp takes a high level input,that worked great but I took it out because I would get the stupid error on the dash about my battery being low

Cypher94

I run a line level tapped into the wires behind the compartment on the driver side of the trunk. I don't know why you wouldn't want to run one of these. I run a Kixker KX 1200 amp off it with no electrical problems at all. Light do not dim either. Ran the power wire right to the battery with a circuit breaker in between. I'm getting ready to redo my box with 2 12" JL 12w6 ported into the access panel on the rear seat.

skratch77

I was running 2 12w6s and after 10 min I would get the error.do you have an e55

SterlingE55

I tapped into those to two wires with a line level (hi/lo) converter bc my amp did not have the option for high level inputs. I took out the factory sub and built a box to fire th sub up through the stock hole. No errors and sounds so much better. I don't like to rattle the shi* out of everything I just despise distortion. Which I got a lot from the stock sub.

Cypher94

Yes...I have an 06 E55

izzyz28

I used a line-level converter from the rear subwoofer wires to my amp. When I first installed it I woul dget the warning message constantly. I found that the problem was that I had attached the power AND ground wires directly to the battery. Once I moved the ground to a chassis ground I haven't had a lick of trouble with the warning message. My only issue is that even though the sub is pounding away in the trunk with plenty of power, a ton of that energy is being wasted because the car is so well insulated. I think the only good solution is to do what 99DirtybirdWS6 did and replace the stock sub with a sub/custom box.

skratch77

I had the same problem also,2 12w6s and you could barely hear them because the car is so well insulated.

I will try again,I think I wired it right to the bat ground!!!

Vader55

Thanks for the response everyone, anyone else please chime in?

harjothundal

I've been itching to do the same... My previous car was a BMW 7 series with Logic 7, it was the best factory system I had ever heard... It was a perfect balance when all worked well and having subs under seats really helped as it would really shake my jeans/pants, it was a very unique feeling and experience...

The Logic 7 in the E is decent... For the most part, I'm pleased with the balance of the lows/mids/highs... The factory subwoofer, in all honesty, does an excellent job of balancing the sound and it hits pretty damn low for not having a dedicated enclosure... There have been times where my steering wheel will vibrate from low low bass notes, impressive...

What I hate though is how after you turn the volume past a certain point the amplifier digitally attenuates the subwoofer and high frequencies, leaving you with a lot of muffled mid range sound... My preliminary plans are to purchase a 5 channel amplifier such as the JL Audio HD 900/5... I'd most likely feed the factory front and rear door speakers with the JL amp, leaving the front/rear center and subwoofer being pushed by the L7 amp... I'd add a 8" or 10" w7/w6 in a ported enclosure with the port firing right into the cabin...

I think this would be an economical solution to get better sound out of the system... I have an Audiocontrol EQS in another one of my vehicles and absolutely love it, not sure I would need it in this car though...

Cypher94

Instead of feeding your door speakers with an aftermarket amp, just run an aftermarket amp and get more speakers. This is what I will be doing when the summer is over. I'm either going to find a way to get some horn tweeters hidden in the car (most likely Beyma's) or if I can't hide them, I will either fabricate a new kick panel or find an aftermarket company that makes them similar to the Qforms by Qlogic. It adds a second stage in the front and makes a very noticeable difference.

jayhawkblk

you are going to have to fab some kicks. The toughest thing about fabbing kicks in this car is the ebrake. I am working on mine now and will be done soon.

I had to get this logic7 out of my car. I had it in my 7series and hated it there it is even worse in the 55.

Cypher94

I dont mind if I have to fab something up. I would probably make something out of fiberglass then paint it black. The other option I was thinking about was getting rid of the ashtray and mounting two Beyma tweeters in there with one pointing at me and one at the passenger. If you haven't heard a beyma bullet tweeter yet...you should. I have two running in my other car with 35 watts going to each and its ear piercing. Sound quality is good too.

nJuDunno

The cheapest way to do it would be to tap into the current sub outputs and use high level inputs or a LOC if your amp won't take the high level inputs. You will still have the problem where when you turn up the volume above a certain point the bass will start to decrease(thanks to the audio gateway)

It probably won't be too bad, you will just have to adjust the bass higher at higher volumes. This is how I did it im my CLK500

The other way to do it would be to tap into the signal output at the Audio Gateway and get something to to flatten out the signal (JL cleansweep, Rockford 3sixty, Alpine PXE-H650) and feed that to you amp to get much stronger bass. This is how I did my CLS55 and then later swapped out the door speakers and added new amp to power that.

harjothundal

I am satisfied with the phase of all the speakers as they are right now, and they perform pretty good for my taste... Only gripe is how the L7 amp attenuates the sound after you turn it past a certain amount of volume, so this is my solution to combat that... I don't really feel the need to add more speakers as I know the factory speakers will play louder with more power... I am looking for a simple factory look with louder volume and a little deeper bass...

Roverron

I bought one of these off ebay MX-3 Bass Controller, hooked it up to factory amp disconnected the factory sub, then threw in a kicker ZR 1000 and 15" solo baric small box lots of bottom end. no rattle

Busta Riles

Has anyone ever punched a hole in the rear seatback wall, where the armrest is, or where the ski pass-through would be? I am thinking this would be a pretty easy solution to my problem.

I had a 12" sub in the trunk of my E55 and wasn't happy with how much sound made it into the cabin.

I bought an S55 and had the same set-up installed yesterday...same issue.


If i do it, how big should i make the hole?

WIKDWS6

I wanted to revive this old thread and see if people have any better solutions to audio upgrades?

Is there a way to add more bass and louder sound while keeping the factory headunit, which sounds clean? Say with a budget between $500-1000?

From what I have read a 10" 500W Sub in the trunk with a line converter and a more powerful amp to the stock speakers?

I'm not very car audio savvy, but I need some bigger sound out of my E55. But anything over $1000, I would rather put that money else where in the car.

turbo97se

Well I added subwoofer in stock location replacing the original sub. Sounds a lot better. I added an Audison 5.1K amp to give it a bit more thump and planning on improved speakers all round with DSP.

The added bass is a big improvement and probably one of the only things that was lacking on stock system. The stock speakers are actually pretty decent.

Line converter (or if you can find an amp with built in speaker level inputs), sub amp and sub would be good enough to complement an already decent sounding system. I am not an audio expert by any means but it's hard to knock a good Bose or HK system unless you want to spend big $$$ to do so.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post6242291

WIKDWS6

Thanks for the input.

I'm debating what sub/ box combo would work without rattling the trunk too hard, but still adds deep bass in the cabin.

£ C43 £ AMG £

Cut a square hole out of the ski hatch opening behind the arm rest and installed an LC2i line converter


http://www.audiocontrol.com/17612/64...r-Control.html

James M

I ran twin 12" 1500W boxed and ported subs off a 3200W Powerbass amp (bridged) using the two factory sub cables from the backboard. After removing my factory sub/s, to leave a nice opening from the trunk into the cabin, I then pulled the cables through to the satnav hatch in the boot and ran a line converter from them into my amp which I installed in my wheel well. Power for the amp came from the fuse box under to the satnav hatch. The twin sub box setup fitted perfectly into the back of my trunk, but I added some velcro just to secure things a bit. I had no issues with batteries or any dashboard warnings. After 1 month I removed the lot and had to hunt down an OE sub as I had damaged mine when I initially removed it. The twin sub setup was too loud and it rattled the back of my car like an earthquake. I also could not see out of the rear facing mirrors as they vibrated too much. Although the OE Harman Kardon is not the loudest sytem on earth, it is perfectly set up for our cars and should not be improved upon. Just my two cents worth.